Jeffers' Pharmacy marks 100 years

100th brithday

Chris Halliday

Orangeville Mayor Rob Adams presents Barb Fairbairn, owner of Jeffers Pharmacy, with a plaque commemorating the businesses’ 100th anniversary on Thursday (Nov. 29). The business, which moved into the Lord Dufferin Centre in 2000, first opened on Broadway in 1912.

Members of the Jeffers family have been druggists in Orangeville for a century.
On Thursday (Nov. 29), family, friends, clients and politicians visited Jeffers' Pharmacy, which is located inside the Lord Dufferin Centre, to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
Admittedly, pharmacy owner Barb Fairbairn is surprised the pharmacy has stayed in business for that long, let alone stayed within the family.
“The time has just flown by,” she said. “It’s not something you see a lot anymore, especially in one family for that length of time.”
Orangeville Mayor Rob Adams agreed. Presenting Fairbairn with a plaque commemorating the pharmacy’s 100th birthday on Thursday, Adams noted a business’ longevity doesn’t come by accident.
“It doesn’t happen very often that a business is this strong, lasts this long, and is so successful,” he said.
“That is really a tribute to the Jeffers family, and all they’ve contributed back to the community.”
Fairbairn’s grandfather first opened the store at 185 Broadway in 1912. The pharmacy stood there for the next 88 years — Fairbairn purchased it from her father in 1985 — before moving into the Lord Dufferin Centre in 2000.
Certainly, it was a move that made sense, Fairbairn reminisced. The Lord Dufferin Centre, which had recently been renovated, included the retirement facility, along with a doctor and dentist’s office.
“There was an opportunity to grow,” she said. “To change our focus a bit, and still maintain our customer base.”
Essentially, the pharmacy has been Fairbairn’s life. As a teenager, she worked as a clerk in the store, before gaining her pharmacy degree, and then buying it from her father.
Several big box pharmacy locations that weren’t around when her grandfather started the business have since rolled into town.
Given the pressure those corporate entities put on independent storeowners, Fairbairn is proud to still be around.
“For an independent to survive, it is a challenge, but we’re part of the community,” she said. “We’ve had great loyal customers. I think a lot of people like the personal service still, and that is what we focus on.”